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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you've had Invisalign braces?

52 replies

Sundiamond · 08/10/2020 16:37

I'm considering getting braces. I'm nearly 50. The dentist suggested Invasalign braces which I've never heard of until now. I don't mind the clear railroad tracks.

Are Invaslign easy to use/wear and look invisible? Are they better than the traditional?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sundiamond · 09/10/2020 06:32

Thanks all, really helpful. Need to decide what to do next. It's really just the bottom teeth but can't just do the bottom as it will change the top etc etc yada yada.

Not sure I fancy washing them out all the time because of coffee.

I guess I either need to think about adjusting my hot drink thing or getting train tracks.

OP posts:
sapnupuas · 09/10/2020 07:38

Oooh. I'm glad you asked as I'm about to start.

sapnupuas · 09/10/2020 07:40

Mine is going to be £2750, which includes whitening at the end.

MidnightFlit · 09/10/2020 12:13

[quote Sundiamond]@MidnightFlit - the not lingering over coffee alarms me! Can you explain what you mean? My coffee is a huge part of a morning ritual for me...[/quote]
Mine too! I'm a real 'I need two coffees to get going at my desk' kind of person. The trouble is, two coffees drunk back to back can easily clock up 30 mins and when you've only got 120 mins 'allowed' out of your day, it adds up.

I was told by my dentist that (a) drinking hot coffee could warp the trays and (b) it would definitely stain them, so they'd have to come out each time. And then I'd have to brush my teeth, so it was a Whole Thing. This is why I managed to lose a couple of pounds in the beginning because I was cutting out the second and third coffee and also the associated biscuits, without really trying.

My solution was to buy a 1 pint Emma Bridgewater mug.

To be honest, after a year I'm probably averaging about 20 hours a day now and everything's moving fine, but you do have to be quite disciplined to make new habits. On the plus side, my teeth have never been cleaner, since I'm brushing after every coffee as well as every meal, so like 7 times a day...

cucumbber · 09/10/2020 15:52

Wow the drinks thing has really put me off. I'm basically constantly drinking either tea or Pepsi and I don't think I could manage without!! Are cold drinks allowed?

Maybe I don't mind my wonky teeth after all!!

UserX · 09/10/2020 16:28

you will put them in a glass of water while you eat lunch in a cafe, then forget and have to sprint back inside to retrieve them before the table's cleared.

Don’t do this. Put them in the case in your pocket or handbag.

Am a veteran of braces & now have Invisalign. I much prefer the Invisalign as you don’t have to go to the orthodontist so often and you can really see the changes. It’s uncomfortable and eating is annoying but I do drink coffee & tea with them in, my ortho said it was ok as long as it wasn’t constant.

Can you shop around a bit and check out reviews for orthos? The Invisalign site also has providers listed.

UserX · 09/10/2020 16:33

Wow the drinks thing has really put me off. I'm basically constantly drinking either tea or Pepsi and I don't think I could manage without!! Are cold drinks allowed?

Carbonation destroys the glue for the attachments so you shouldn’t really drink anything carbonated. Anything you drink with them in is going to stay on your teeth Until you brush so it’s advised not to drink any sugary drinks unless you want to end up with a mouthful of cavities at the end.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 09/10/2020 16:38

You can't drink tea / coffee with them in.
The lack of tea for me was a serious problem.
I didn't lose weight either - I saved my snacks to have with meals and ate like a snake.
2 cups of tea with breakfast, 2 with lunch and 2 after dinner just about saw me through. Was a bit flexible with the 20 hours thing after the first couple of months.
That and treating gin with sugar free tonic as "near enough water".

At least anyone doing it now isn't going to have the trying to brush teeth after eating out in cafes / restaurants problem quite so much. Many eating establishments either only have hot water in the toilets or have sinks you wouldn't really want to brush your teeth in. Or if picnicing in the countryside I used to take a bottle of water and a toothbrush and spit in bushes.

CeeCeeEnnEss · 09/10/2020 16:41

I’m about two thirds through my aligners with about 3.5 months to go, would have been a little faster but I started just before lockdown.

£3600 for top and bottom, my bottom were really crowded but my top were ok, just needed a little perfecting.

You can only drink water with them in or you’ll end up with holes in your teeth. Take them out, eat/drink and then clean your teeth and the aligners before putting them back in. I’ve completely stopped snacking because I can’t be arsed with the effort and I quite quickly lost ten pounds. I’ve never drunk hot drinks but, as above, they would warp the trays.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 09/10/2020 16:41

Also - the attachments are a pain, make the whole thing less invisible than you are originally sold on, and can be sharp.
The filing down of the sides of your teeth is nowhere near as scary as it sounds.
My teeth are straight now for the first time ever - I keep catching sight of myself on Zoom calls and smiling!

I8toys · 09/10/2020 16:43

I drank tea and coffee with mine with no problems.

MorrisZapp · 09/10/2020 17:35

I'm having a zoom consultation soon so this is v helpful. My teeth are so bad that my ordinary dentist said I was borderline for NHS orthodontistry! I'm worried my teeth will need years of work, I was hoping to get it done before next summer.

MorrisZapp · 09/10/2020 17:37

TRIGGER WARNING, BRITISH TEETH

To ask if you've had Invisalign braces?
Original poster
Sundiamond · 09/10/2020 19:00

Honestly, @MorrisZapp, I know we are all really self-conscious about certain things about ourselves, but your teeth really aren't that bad. I've seen far worse. I've dated men with far worse!

OP posts:
JoanApple · 09/10/2020 19:10

I had them. Brilliant. No regrets!

MorrisZapp · 09/10/2020 19:21

Lol yes I can think of a few exes with shocking gnashers 😂

Bellebelle · 09/10/2020 19:28

I’m just about to start with Invisalign so pleased to hear that so many on here have had a good experience. It’s costing me £5000 including whitening and some teeth which have worn down/chipped being repaired at the end of the treatment. My teeth are pretty wonky so it’s expected to take 6 months of trays to get to the end result. Perfect time to do it really seeing as I’ll be doing very little other than working from home for the foreseeable future. Hoping to emerge into Spring with straight teeth and maybe the added bonus of being a few pounds lighter if they stop me snacking.

Bellebelle · 09/10/2020 19:32

OP I’ve got a friend who has fixed braces (she went for them as thought it would be quicker than Invisalign but it has ended up being much longer than her orthodontist predicted - was meant to be 6 months and it’s 18 months so far.) She’s stopped drinking tea, coffee, red wine and curry as her orthodontist told her that all those things would stain the brackets of her braces. Not sure if that’s being overly cautious but worth checking.

AgnesNaismith · 09/10/2020 19:33

So....I have significant experience in this area.

I think it depends on the kind of person you are! Are you likely to want to give yourself an easy life? I had Invisalign and due to feeling self conscious and like I had a mouth guard in 24/7 and the faff of taking them in and out I didn’t wear them properly. There was an awful lot going on in my life at the time and looking after myself quite as well as I should. Plus the trays got quite stinky towards the end of each period.

I have train tracks now and they are so easy!! Now is the best time to get them because of wearing masks for the next 6 months Grin I clean really well around them and use fluoride mouthwash, floss after food and can actually feel my teeth - which I prefer. The only thing I can’t do is drink fizzy drinks or eat sticky crunchy sweets, but that’ll be fine for a while.

AramintaLee · 09/10/2020 19:41

Hi OP. Just finishing my treatment. £4k for top and bottom and it is the best decision I've ever made. Zero regrets.

I too am an avid coffee drinker and just popped the retainers out whenever I had a coffee and then did a quick brush, mouthwash before putting them back in (always carried a mini toothbrush/toothpaste in my handbag) I never eat or drink anything other than water with them in as didn't want to stain them.

The retainers are thinner than the ones they give you following treatment but it probably does affect your speech for the first week. After that you just get used to them and speak normally.

I really can't recommend them enough. It was life changing for me (I've had metal and ceramic train tracks previously and they used to cut the inside of my mouth and give me horrendous ulcers)

TableFlowerss · 09/10/2020 22:35

@AgnesNaismith

So....I have significant experience in this area.

I think it depends on the kind of person you are! Are you likely to want to give yourself an easy life? I had Invisalign and due to feeling self conscious and like I had a mouth guard in 24/7 and the faff of taking them in and out I didn’t wear them properly. There was an awful lot going on in my life at the time and looking after myself quite as well as I should. Plus the trays got quite stinky towards the end of each period.

I have train tracks now and they are so easy!! Now is the best time to get them because of wearing masks for the next 6 months Grin I clean really well around them and use fluoride mouthwash, floss after food and can actually feel my teeth - which I prefer. The only thing I can’t do is drink fizzy drinks or eat sticky crunchy sweets, but that’ll be fine for a while.

So so true! There couldn’t be a better time to get the ‘train tracks’ with having to wear face coverings
MorrisZapp · 12/10/2020 18:08

I've had my initial consult. Looks like I'm going for invisalign. To my surprise, he seemed OK with me only getting my top teeth done? My bottom teeth are wonky too but you can't really see them so I don't care how they look so much.

Anyone just had top teeth done? I'm going to have a 'blank' made for fifty quid to see if I can hack wearing it. Don't want to make an expensive mistake.

YesIDoLoveCrisps · 18/04/2021 08:44

I hope it’s ok to bump this thread Smile
Has anyone had just the bottom tray? My top ones are ok.
Also do the copies of Invisalign work?
Thanks Flowers

Cactuslockdown · 18/04/2021 08:54

I’ve had train tracks as a teenager and Invisalign as an adult. There are pros and cons with both. Depending what you need done train tracks can be quicker and give more certainty on results... and you can drink coffee with them in! I went for Invisalign as id just started a new job and was a bit self conscious... mine were £4k top and bottom as I needed a lot of sets. I have a wire retainer and a plastic retainer I wear weekly 3 years on.
I’d really recommend visiting an orthodontist for a consultation. They can tell you which would be a better option. Mine spent ages tinkering with the Invisalign option rather than just accepting the option they sent... I’m not sure an Invisalign dentist would have the skills/knowledge to do this. It was only about £300 more than the dentist which I thought a small price for the additional work/peace of mind.
I’m really pleased I had it done. Good luck OP!

peak2021 · 18/04/2021 08:58

A work colleague had them and seemed very happy with them.